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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135016">Discovering Who I Am: A No Man's Sky Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fellow_Traveller/pseuds/Fellow_Traveller'>Fellow_Traveller</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>No mans sky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:07:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,125</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135016</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fellow_Traveller/pseuds/Fellow_Traveller</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hello there! Like myself, you probably awoke on a random planet with a broken space ship and no damn memory of who you once were. Fear not, there is a place in this universe for you. Here's the story of how I found mine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>CHAPTER 1: HUMBLE BEGININGS<br/>     Who am I? That's the question I've asked myself at least a thousand times since I woke up on this frozen rock. I managed to find a broken down starship at least, maybe a quick nap in this warm cockpit can jog my memory. I slept through the night but it's no use, I have not a single memory of who I am or how I got here. I found a mirror in the ship and to my surprise on my helmet it reads Capt. Z. Myers. Well at least I have a name I shout to mindless lights and controls flashing in front me. Instantly after my proclamation the ship responds to my voice,  "LAUNCH THRUSTERS DAMAGED BEGIN DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE?"<br/>I respond "yes", and can Instantly hear the ships systems hum while it discovered the problems with the ship. Before I could complete another thought the ship responds again, "LAUNCH THRUSTERS STORAGE TANK SEAL CRITICALLY DAMAGED." Well that can't be good I muttered to myself, how in world am I supposed to fix that. In my frustration I punched to roof of the starship and out falls a small case with the words EMERGENCY SYSTEMS KIT. I open the kit only to find sum dihydrogen jelly and sum life support gel waiting for me. Almost like a eureka moment I got the idea to use the dihydrogen jelly to replace to seal on my launch thrusters, not exactly the fix the people who built this thing intended but it'll do for now. Somehow all the fuel didn't leak out of this thing, I guess I should be grateful for that, if I'm gonna find out who I am or why I'm here I need to get this thing into the sky's.<br/>        Turns out I'm not a flying ace, I almost hit four different mountain tops trying to learn to fly this thing. I think I got my bearings but this whole planet is a wasteland, nothing but snow and more snow as far as the eye can see. Only one option left, time to go up. Breaking out of this planets atmosphere was almost too easy, but I suppose that makes sence considering the massive amount of distance between me and any other planetary body. My ship seems to have detected sum sort of space station orbiting a planet nearby, that should be my target. I can not fathom how long this is taking. According to my ship it'll be another two days before I get to the station, there has to be better way. Eureka!, I found a small red buttom under my steering joystick and man o man did that pick up the speed, I think I might be getting the hang of this whole piloting thing, ETA till arrival at station forty-five seconds!<br/>           Sadly this station is filled with entities that do not understand my language. Sum of them taught me some of their language, so I'm not a clueless idiot but I'm sure close to one.  I found a few entities that spoke my language and one offered to fix my ship the correct way as long as I agreed to be a part of his team going to salvage a frigate that was raided by pirates recently. I reluctantly agreed although I didn't have much of choice my starship wasn't going anywhere in its current state. The scrap dealer was surprisingly very helpful, he gave me information on the system were in, and gifted me a new multi-tool with a blaster mod installed, he even told me his name, Schall-duemtett. <br/>       While Schall worked on my ship I tried to use my new found knowledge on the people who inhabit this station. I had thought everyone was staring at me before when I first arrived here but it's even more noticeable now. Every single entity here looks at me with both fear and awe, and even Schall just shrugged like I should know the answer already. My confusion only grows the more I try to find the answers, I need a distraction. Thankfully Schall has finished my ship, and tell me we will depart tomorrow. I think a nap will serve me well while I try to prepare for whatever lies in store for me. -Regards Capt. Z. MYERS</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Derelict</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We departed the station and I followed Schall's ship as we made our way to the derelict freighter. As we flew through the cosmos I had a brief moment too sit back and appreciate the beauty of the solar system around me. An intense feeling of peace washed over me the longer I continued to gaze out of the starship's windows. It was like I was at home out here, like I had been here a thousand times over. Before I could reflect on the thought any further Schall's voiced boomed out my starship's communicator, instructing me to land my starship next to his. What a shame,  my peaceful moment turned out to be just that, a moment.<br/>
By the time I landed and got out of my starship Schall's men had already pryed open maintenence shaft door. I am thankful for their quick work, the icy grip of space tugged at me even through my exosuit. I looked out into space once last time before stepping into the heavily damaged freighter. Down the hall Schall was working on the master terminal, attempting to restore the ships life support systems and deactivate the security protocols. This must not be Schall's first salvage op, because he cracked the computer code faster than I could probably type my name on there.<br/>
We entered the cargo hold and Schall immediately put me to work, informing me that eighty percent of the cargo on board was still here. We made surprisingly quick work of the cargo but Schall wasn't satisfied yet, he instructs me to investigate the starship hangars, while he and his crew locate the crew quarters. I didn't mind being sent off on my own, after all I didn't exactly fit in with the rest of the crew. I made my way to the hangar and clearly this part of the freighter had taken extensive damage. The closer I got to the hangar the darker it became, there is maybe one working light pouring out of a doorway in front of me.<br/>
Well I found the hangar and the place looks like it was used for an animal pen, not a starship hangar. I stepped through the doorway and there black slime all over the floor and it's at least ankle deep all the way around, "great" I mutter to myself as I start searching the four starship bays. The first too bays had nothing but destroyed tools and the names of the pilots who called this ship they're home. I gaze across the plates and pay respect to each pilot, Srgt. Max Wartshun and Corporal Travis MacShoon. I move into the next bay and my whole body freezes as my flashlight illuminates the nameplate, ......... Myers. Half the nameplate was covered in this black goo and no matter what I did I couldn't uncover the first part of the name. Coincidences are rare out here, that much I know, there has to be more information on this ship somewhere. I approach the last bay, more of the same, this name plate has even more black sludge on it, and the only letters I can read are PFC.<br/>
Well as far as scrap goes the hangar was a bust, I radio Schall, who guides me up the crew quarters. He and his crew already started tearing apart the captains quarters, Schall orders two of his crew and me to search the crew quarters. As soon as we entered the room I began looking  through beds and lockers, but outside of a few personal treasures I find nothing. I notice a small area sectioned off from the rest of the crew quarters with four beds and four lockers.  I opened the first locker, completely empty except for a journal hanging from the door. I crack open the journal and find its written it my language! The temptation was too great, I had to at least read the first page to search for clues. I read the first entry and I could not believe what I read: My name is Josh Thornbridge and today marks my first day as a Private First Class. I skies are calling my name and I'm  excited to meet the team they've assigned me too. Hoping this journal will help me write my memoirs when I become a general, after all someone with my talents should rise up the promotion ladder faster than if someone turned off the artificial gravity.<br/>
I snapped out of my need to read the journal and kept searching, stashing the journal in my suit. I opened the last locker, empty again except for once again another journal hanging from door, on the front it read: Captain's log: Zach Myers. I could not believe what was right in front of me, I reached out to grab it when I felt a horrible pain in my left leg. I collapsed to the floor a Vykleen soldier standing over me, blaster in hand.<br/>
The Vykleen dragged me to the cargo hold, making sure I saw the crew members he killed before he shot me. When we got there Schall was tied up, the look of true fear written all over his face. The Vykleens loaded up Schall on his ship and looked over at me. They pointed at me while having an intense argument. Eventually one of them calmed down and dragged me to the captains quarters. The Vykleen tied me to the cot, smiled and left me to my fate.<br/>
I felt a rush of relief hearing Schall's and their own ship blast off the derelict freighter, however the relief was short lived as I felt the freighter begin to get sucked into the atmosphere of the planet it was orbiting. The launch thrusters from the ships must have pushed us further in the atmosphere and now we were on a one way flight to the ground below. I struggled against the ropes but it was no use, I could feel the freighter gaining speed as it pulled further and further into the atmosphere. I started to accept my fate, when the heat from reentry busted a hole right in the captains quarters! Everything loose in the room flew towards the hole, including the cot I was strapped too. The pressure ripped the rope straight off me and sent me flying at the small boulder size hole, just before I was sucked out of the freighter the captain's desk slammed into the hole, creating a makeshift seal. Unfortunately it was too late to stop myself from hitting the desk at speeds no man should ever hit a desk. If I have a mother I imagine she'd be disappointed with the obscenities that came flying out of my mouth after the desk broke my arm and surely other bones in my body. No time to worry about the pain, I have maybe minutes left before this freighter hits the surface. I stumble to my feet, barely able to stand from the blaster shot from earlier. I'm bouncing off each side of the hallways trying my hardest to reach the maintenence shaft. At last I made it, now the bigger question, how do I get to my ship when this thing is screaming towards the ground with increasing speed. There's only one option, turn my jetpack on full power and hope I can make it. I make the adjustments and open the door. The freighter glows more red as our speed increases , I push my jetpack thrusters and it was like being shot out of cannon. I had so much speed I almost overshot my ship. I quickly fire up the the controls and pull my starship from the derelict freighter as it careened down towards the planet below. I watched as it made impact in a heavily volcanic area of the planet, coming to rest in a deep chasm between two mountains. Every fiber of my being wanted to fly down there and recover what I'm almost certain has to be my journal, although I'm certain in my current condition I would die before I ever recovered it. I pull up my galaxy map so I can remember the name of planet how holding my secrets, Nenfu. I mark it in my charts and depart for the nearest space station, I need a medic, and a long nap. Regards Capt. Zach? Myers</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Journal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I barely made it back to the space station, with blood pooling in my boot it took everything I had to limp my body into the medical bay. I fall onto a table as a Korvax entity begins tending to my wounds, my eyes slam shut, exhausted from the horrors my body had gone through. <br/>      I've decided to call the Korvax entity "Dr. Janis", it's my small way of humanizing the robotic entity that saved my life. Perhaps it's a bit amoral to humanize a conscience, interconnected entity, but you gotta do what you gotta do when a strange being is working on you.  In the end Dr. Janis managed to treat my injuries fairly well, although I will say their bedside manner could really use sum work.<br/>    The station feels lonely without Schall here, Josh's journal will have too fill the void. I climb into my starship's sleeping pod and crack open the first entry:<br/>Josh's Journal entry #1: UGHHH, I promised my folks I would write in the journal everyday but how can I when sarge is riding me every second of every day. I been on this frigate two months and I haven't even set foot inside my starship. Sarge has made me wax the floors in the hangar so many times i wouldn't think twice eating off it. If it wasn't for Capt. Myers I'm positive sarge and I would have already gone to fists. Capt. Myers just seems to have this calming presence, like he's seen the universe a hundred times over and has had the answers every time. Corporal MacShoon is the quietest of the bunch, he's always sketching on that notepad of his. He was the first one to invite me to the nightly poker match so he must be a pretty nice guy. I hit the sarge with a royal flush the other night and that's the only time I've seen the Corporal smile, at least I'm doing something right.<br/>Josh's Journal entry #2: FINALLY!! Capt. Myers finally took me on a supply run. Flying through the expance of space is such a different feeling compared to the simulator they had in pilot school.  Capt. Myers informed me we were heading to the Myothia market, the largest trading hub in this section of the galaxy. We landed near the market, and my eyes couldn't even process the sheer size of this place. Buildings and stalls littered the streets forming a grid like system that went on for miles. Capt. Myers navigated the market like it wasn't this massive imposing city, making left turns and right turns. Eventually we arrive at a small shack, the Gek manning the station instantly recognizes Capt. Myers and greets him like an old friend. My understanding of the Gek language is extremely limited, but Capt Myers conversed with him effortlessly, appearing to come to a deal with the Gek. "Let's go" Capt. Myers ordered as he started making his way to the ships.  As we returned thirty Gek were loading our ships with supplies, it was stunning watching the efficiency of their work.<br/>  I followed Capt. Myers back to the freighter challenging him to teach a no nothing rookie like me how an expert flies. Perhaps I may have pushed him too much, because before I knew it Capt. Myers starship dives below mine. I'm frantically trying to locate him when he flies right above me tractor beam engaged and locked onto me. OHHH SHHHIII.... was all I could muster before my ship was yanked from a complete stop to full speed. I could only watch in terror as Capt. Myers dived and dodged asteroids with me in tow. The maneuvers alone were stunning but flying through an asteroid belt at full speed really put into perspective how good my captain really was. We approached the freighter and Capt. Myers released my ship from his. I gripped my controls and flew back, hands still shaking from what I just witnessed.<br/>  Josh's journal entry #3: I'm so sick of never getting to participate in combat missions, we've been in working in this system for four weeks but every time I want to go help with a bounty sarge goes off on me saying I'm not ready. I don't care what he says I know I'm ready, I managed to use our scanners to locate a bounty that sarge missed, I'll fight them after the rest of the crew goes to sleep. I waited for the sarge's telltale snoring and made my move, sneaking into the hangar, where my starship awaits me. Finally I was out in the open, just me and my thoughts. I flew to the coordinates I found earlier, finding nothing but empty space around me. As I ponder my next move, an explosion rocks the back half of my ship. I try to engaged my thrusters my nothing happens as the chilling realization sets in, I'm a sitting duck. The pirates blast demands over the radio asking for a fortune to not kill me. I denied their request and saw the flare of another rocket as it took off in my direction. As my life flashed before my eyes a ship flies right in front of me, grabbing my ship with a tractor beam. Srgt. Wartshun orders over my communicator to stay calm and we will both get out of here alive. I sat back and let the sarge work, knowing when we returned he would likely send me back home with a dishonorable discharge. It's not like I don't deserve it I guess. When we returned to the freighter, sarge took me aside and said "look kid, everyone gets one free pass, this one's yours, I expect you'll listen to orders from here on out. Yes sir I replied. Good, then I don't see any reason Capt. Myers needs to know about our little adventure tonight, now let's fix your ship before the rest of the crew wakes up". The journal falls out of my hands as I pass out, dreaming about the possibilities that await me.</p>
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